Matt Chandler (pastor)

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Matt Chandler (born June 20, 1974) is an American Baptist evangelical Christian pastor. He is the senior pastor of Village Church, based in Flower Mound, Texas (Southern Baptist) and the executive director of the board of the Acts 29 Network.

Chandler was born in Seattle, Washington. His father was in the military, causing him to move multiple times. They lived in Olympia, Washington; Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan; Alameda, California, and Galveston, Texas.^[1] In Texas, the 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) Chandler was a member of the high school football team. He often refers to Jeff Faircloth, a football teammate, was quick to share the good news of Jesus with him in a way that intrigued Chandler. Over the course of two years, Chandler attended church gatherings, opposed the beliefs, raised questions, and doubts against Christianity before deciding to accept the teaching of Christianity.^[2]

Following high school, Chandler acquired his first job, as a janitor at Pine Drive Christian School in Dickinson, Texas. Chandler first spoke in front of a crowd when he was asked to share his testimony at a high school chapel. He was then offered a job as a youth minister at a small Baptist church in La Marque, Texas, at the age of 18.^[3] Chandler moved to Abilene, Texas, where he attended Hardin-Simmons University. While there, Chandler began leading the weekly Grace Bible Study at the Paramount Theater. Chandler earned a Bible degree from Hardin-Simmons University. In 1996, Chandler was hired by Beltway Park Baptist Church under pastor David McQueen.^[4] In 1999, Chandler started a non-profit called Waiting Room Ministries with close friend Shane Barnard.^[5] Chandler twice started seminary classes but dropped out both times because he felt that he had acquired the tools he was learning from seminary back in bible school.^[6] He married his wife, Lauren, on July 31, 1999, and they have three children: Audrey, Reid and Norah.^[7]

A woman on the board of his non-profit organization asked Chandler to put in a résumé at Highland Village First Baptist Church. Chandler claims he did not expect to get the job due to conflicts in beliefs.^[8] Despite this, he was offered the job, and in 2002 he accepted the position. The church at that point had an attendance of 160 people. Now known as The Village Church, it has since become a multi-site megachurch with over 14,000 attendees.^[3] Chandler says his character was partially shaped by John Piper.^[8]

In March 2012, Chandler was named president of Acts 29 Network, succeeding Mark Driscoll who had helped found the network of church planters but was later removed for a pattern of "ungodly and disqualifying behavior".^[9] Acts 29 Network is a partnership of church plants that has grown to over 400 churches in the United States and around the world.^[10]

Chandler is an elder and the lead pastor of teaching at The Village Church, which is located in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and consists of a single campus called Flower Mound.^{[11] [12]} The Village Church considers itself to be "gospel-centered." Their mission statement reads, "At The Village Church, the means by which we will pursue the glory of God in the making of disciples is four-fold: gospel-centered worship, gospel-centered community, gospel-centered service and gospel-centered multiplication.^[13] The church has an average growth rate of over one thousand people per year. Chandler believes the growth after his arrival helped him to make many changes, including switching to all male eldership.^[8]

Chandler distinguishes between Israel and the church as two different bodies God created at different points in history. Chandler sees the church as being created by God through Christ's preaching: "God created the Church through the proclaimed gospel of the revealed Word, Jesus Christ."^[14]

Chandler believes in Christian hedonism, a phrase coined by John Piper, which teaches that "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him" and that God's highest pursuit ("His glory") and man's deepest and most durable joy come together in one pursuit—namely, the pursuit of satisfaction in God.^[4]

Regarding creationism, Chandler refers to himself as a "historic creationist", taking the view presented by Old Testament professor John Sailhamer in his book Genesis Unbound.^[15][16] Chandler describes the view, in his words, that God created the universe "in the early stages of an unknowable period of time" and that the days of creation were when "God groom[ed] a section of land that was uninhabitable… and prepare[ed] it for Adam and Eve and plac[ed] them in the garden and g[ave] them the cultural mandate, 'Go and make the rest of the world look like this. You're going to need a lot of help. Have a lot of babies.'" He affirms that the creation of the universe took place before the biblical Creation Week.^[17]

Chandler holds to a complementarian view of gender roles. This view states that man and woman are equal in essence, value, and dignity but were created and called by God for distinct roles within the home and church. Husbands are charged to lead, protect, and provide for their wives and families, and wives to affirm and submit to their husbands' leadership. Men are also to bear the primary responsibility of leading the local church; therefore, the office of pastor/elder is restricted to men. Chandler believes that men were designed to be "cultivators, growers, nurturers, and builders".^[4][18][19]

Chandler's soteriology is Calvinistic.^[20] This view states that a person's “response to the gospel is rooted and grounded in the free and unconditional election of God for His own pleasure and glory.” ^[21]

Regarding spiritual gifts, Chandler is a continuationist.^[4][22] He believes that supernatural gifts such as prophecy, miracles, healings, and speaking in tongues have not ceased and should be exercised within the church under the authoritative parameters that Scripture provides.

Chandler's first book is titled The Explicit Gospel.^[23] The book was published by Crossway Books in 2012, and was written with the help of Jared Wilson. Relevant explained that the purpose of the book was to clarify the gospel and its implications.^[24] The book is divided into three main sections: The Gospel on the Ground, The Gospel in the Air and Implications and Applications.^[25] His second book is titled Creature of the Word: The Jesus-Centered Church,^[26] and was written with fellow Village pastor Josh Patterson and LifeWay Vice-President Eric Geiger. His latest book, Take Heart: Christian Courage in the Age of Unbelief was published in 2018 by The Good Book Company.^{[citation needed]}

In June 2019, The New York Times reported that in 2015, Village Church and Chandler had placed Karen Hinkley under church discipline when she began annulment proceedings for her marriage to a man who admitted having an addiction to child pornography.^[27] After initially being unable to have a face to face discussion with Chandler,^[27] she later discussed the incident with Chandler, with Chandler apologizing and Hinkley accepting the apology.^[28] The allegation was included in a report where Christi Bragg, a member of the church, "said that Mr. Chandler and church leaders failed to provide her family with sufficient answers and support after her family told them that her daughter had been molested." Bragg's daughter sued the church, alleging gross negligence and seeking damages. During a sermon, Chandler disagreed that the church had mishandled the case and stated that he had met with the family, which the family said was not true.^[29][30] The church settled the case in 2022.^[31]

In August 2022, Chandler took a leave of absence from the Village Church after reportedly exchanging multiple Instagram direct messages with a woman who was not his wife.^[31] The church hired boutique law firm Castañeda + Heidelman LLP to conduct an investigation, with the church declining to share the report, stating they wanted "to honor the request of the woman Matt was messaging with not to be in the spotlight".^[31] Chandler called the exchange "unguarded and unwise",^[32] with church elders describing the leave of absence was "both disciplinary and developmental."^[33] Chandler stated that the messages "were not sexual or romantic".^[34]

On December 4 of the same year, Chandler returned to preaching at the church. Chandler became the executive chairman of the board during his leave of absence, with the presidency being taken over by the previous executive director, Brian Howard.^[34][35]

Chandler married his wife Lauren in 1999. They have three children.^[36]

In November 2009, Chandler had a seizure at his home^[37] and was later diagnosed with anaplastic oligodendroglioma, a malignant brain tumor.^[38] Chandler commented in June 2010 that he believed that God healed his cancer.^[39] He received treatment at Baylor University Medical Center and was given a clean bill of health in September 2010.^{[citation needed]}

• "The Story of Matt Chandler": an audio interview of Matt Chandler by Mark Dever of 9Marks
• "John Piper Interviews Matt Chandler":
  • Part 1 and Part 2: "Autobiography"
  • Part 3: "Calvinism and Sexual Complementarity"
  • Part 4: "Advice for Pastors"